The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-07-16
A QUEER STORY.
A Romance Of Farmer Heymann',
Murder.

"A OSOav Va SNNSRtAOAttA AAtSAOSt
an incident in real life more pecu-
liar even than the plot Of" Far
from the Madding Crowd us
given in a Harrisburg, Penn, dis
patch to the Baltimore American.
A local paper of that day men
toned the death Of a woman named
Ellen Gray in Omaha, and noted
the fact that her life, to- her init
mates there, seemed to have been
connected with some mystery. The
correspondent now gives the curl
Gus details. The publication OF
her death, he gays, recalls crime
committed many years ago, in
which she was a central figure.
One night in March, 1852. a far
mer named Heymann left the town
where, during the day, he had dis
posed of lot of sheep. He carried
the proceeds Of his sales in heavy
leathern saddle bags. The money
was mostly in coin. Heymann did
not 60 armed, but rode from town
little under the influence of
liquor, but not drunk enough to
call attention to the fact. AS he
lived but twenty miles from the
market, he expected to reach home
about midnight. But when the
morning dawned Edward Hey
mann was still absent from his farm.
His horse stood at the stable door,
but the saddle bags were missing,
which gave rise to the suspicion of
foul play.
At distance of five miles from
home the body of Heymann was
found lying by the roadside, and
not far away lay the saddle bags,
rifled of their contents. The MUIR
derer, in his haste to get the money,
had cut his way to it, instead OF
unbuckling the straps. The farmer,
when found, was dead !; one side of
his skull had been crushed as if
10y blow from a bludgeon or some
murderous weapon of that sort, and
his pockets, like the saddle bags,
had been emptied. Though tie
country was secured for the perpe-
traitors of the deed, no traces were
discovered, but clue was suddenly
/ furnished in a startling manner.
| rIIEN GRAY'S STORY.
The body Of the farmer had been
discovered not far from a farm
house occupied by a family named
Gray, which consisted of the pa
rents and two children. Ellen
Gray came forward and desired to
make a statement, which she said
had tortured her ever since the
night of the murder. The girl
stated that she was up at the hour
of II 80 on the night of the mur-
der, and that she heard horse
coming down the frosty road from
the direction of Harrisburg. Not
regarding the sound of any mo-
ment. she was about to re-entel
the house, when she heard an oath
followed by a fall and a groan
Then she heard a name uttered
twice in a tone of mingled agony
and supplica,ion. A moment later
the sound of hoofs came to hel
ears, and the horse seemed to be
galloping towards the Heymanr
farm.
1t was believed that the name
which she had heard was that o.
the murderer, which had fallen
from the lips of the victim. before
insensibility or death followed the
blow. The girl visibly hesitated
when asked by the magistrate tt
pronounce the name. She covered
her face with her hands, and in al
probability would have fallen i
She had not been supported by hel
brother Hiram. She did not like
to utter the name that might doom
one of the men of her acquaintance
to the gallows, yet she had heard
Edward Heymann call on him t.
spare his life. She was pressed te
mention the name and further the
ends of Justice, in which the whole
country was interested, and at las
her lips parted. =,
"God help him and pity me !
she said. 1.-THE name ! heard wa'
Abner Tenney's."
If thunderbolt had fallen into
the crowd the astonishment would
not have been more complete. Mer
started at the name and women ut
tered cries that added to the con
fusion. Standing near the witness
was young man of ffive-and-twenty
the only son of minister wht
watched over the little flock of hi!
believers that worshiped i'll the vii
liage church hard by, and youth
of exemplary habits to the QUITE
world. His face was pale as death
and, at the mention of his name, n
started back with a cry and fount
all eyes fixed upon him.
His name was Abner Tenney.
He made no effort to escape, bu
was formally arrested on Eller
Gray's statement and brought t
tho har of ;ustice. He denied tn